


Day Fifty-Four || A Bird Cage

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [54]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Animal Death, Blood, Character Death, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 20:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17904893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Even if it sits empty now, Hinata can't bring herself to get rid of the thing. But at least it brings about a conversation that might lead to something more.





	Day Fifty-Four || A Bird Cage

It had been a birthday gift from her father to her cousin: a sleek, golden-wired bird cage, complete with a canary that sang like there was no tomorrow. Neji had been fond of birds since he was young, lamenting not having one of his own. The dawn of his thirteenth year saw him finally get one. No more staring longingly at wild avians, or ones that looked to him dolefully in the pet shops. He finally had one all his own.

And oh how he loved it.

When it wasn’t in its cage (which was rarely), it was sat upon his shoulder. He could be doing homework, eating, finishing chores, and the little golden bird would be there, singing and singing. Neji would always tell her he hated to see the creature caged, so he kept it out as often as he could. It wasn’t true freedom...but it was more than the bars of its confines.

The pair were a match made in heaven...until tragedy struck.

Hinata and Neji had been walking home after dark, having stayed at school for a basketball game. The younger cousin’s crush had been playing, and insisted she watch. And Neji, ever much the older brother, had stayed. They didn’t live far from the high school, and so the jaunt back seemed simple enough.

But not that night.

The assailant came out of nowhere, taking Hinata by the arm. Her cry alerted Neji, who - without a hint of fear - had moved to take her back. Knocked aside as the pair tussled just within the mouth of an alleyway, Hinata hadn’t the time to get back up before she noticed a glint of metal. It shone brightly for a moment in the lamplight before disappearing...as the blade sank into her cousin’s side.

He’d grunted in pain, threw the man off as the knife remained in place. Then unarmed, he’d fled into the night

Hinata had no experience with wounds - frantic fingers had tried to do something. Anything! She knew well enough not to remove the weapon, lest he bleed out...but it was clear something vital had been struck. Crying out for help, Hinata wasn’t answered as blood pooled and skin grew cold.

...he’d given his life to save her.

Pronounced dead on the scene, there was no trip to the hospital. Hinata, in shock, remained with an ambulance as they worked to keep her conscious. All she could do was stare, not quite believing.

From that day on...the house was silent. Hardly a word was spoken...but most noticeable was the lack of birdsong. The little canary went quiet, clearly aware of the loss.

It refused to eat, to drink. A trip to the vet found nothing wrong. But Hinata knew, when she found it still at the bottom of the birdcage the next morning...it had died from a broken heart. The boy it had loved since being brought home was gone.

She’d buried the little thing in the backyard, next to a memorial in the garden she kept for her cousin. It might not have been Neji’s burial site, but...it was as close as she could bring them.

Hiashi had tried to throw away the cage, but Hinata insisted she keep it. When asked why, she had no answer...save that it was one last relic that tied the two together.

It went with her when she moved out, hung in a corner in her apartment. And still, it remained empty. To try and replace the previous occupant felt..wrong.

Her landlady - who doubled as her boss that owned the bakery just beneath her - had asked about it once. Hinata’d told the tale, and the older woman never again brought it up.

It seemed it would forever incite silence.

Or...so it seemed.

Today, Hinata is running late - a hard thing to do when work is only a flight of stairs away. But her boss is indulging: a kindhearted woman five years her senior who gave her the place to stay once her father kicked her out. Any child of his refusing college, he’d said, had no place under his roof.

So, now Hinata lives in a tiny studio apartment...but the smell of fresh bread permeates everything. She considers it a win-win.

The morning is always their busiest time: people seeking breakfast before work flood the bakery every weekday. But the pair of them revel in it, hardly noticing the passing time in the rush.

Today, however, things get a little...interesting.

After the first wave, the pair find themselves in a bit of a lull, talking amiably as they tidy up and prepare for the inevitable second round. It’s during the quiet that a lone customer walks in, shouldering his duffle bag and glancing to the menu.

Her boss takes the order as Hinata finishes mopping, washing up and then filling the quota: a loaf of sourdough bread, and an iced coffee: black. A little odd, given that it’s still Winter, but...well, the customer gets what the customer wants.

With the bread bagged, she goes to turn and deliver the drink...only to find a spot still wet from her cleaning. Her shoes slip out from under her, and with a cry, Hinata topples over...and the drink goes flying.

...all over him.

Thankfully she doesn’t conk her head on anything, waving away her boss and insisting she’s fine, far more concerned (and mortified) about the man beyond the counter. Rattling off apologies, Hinata tries to make amends only for him to wave them aside.

“It’s fine - I’ve got my gym clothes in my bag, I can just change.”

“I-I live just upstairs - I can wash your shirt for you!”

“No, really - I -”

“Please! A-and you can change there - our bathroom’s so small, it’d be a pain.”

He glances to the manager, who shrugs. “...okay, sure.”

Hinata scurries up the stairs before him, fumbling her keys and unlocking the door. “The b-bathroom’s over there - I can rinse the shirt in the sink so it doesn’t stain.”

“Thanks.”

To her embarrassment, he just...strips it off then and there before moving to fish his spare shirt out of his bag. Well...so much for using the bathroom. Spinning around pink-faced, Hinata channels her nervous energy into scrubbing the garment.

“...you have a bird?”

“I...w-what?”

“You’ve got a birdcage.”

Mid motion, Hinata goes stock still.

He seems to realize he hit a nerve. “...er…”

“...my cousin did. Before he, um...before he d-died.”

“Oh, shit...I’m sorry.”

“...it’s fine. It was...a long time ago now. But...I just couldn’t get rid of the cage. I’m not sure why.”

Redressed, he crosses the room to admire it, hands in his pockets. “...he liked birds?”

“Very much so.”

“Y’know, I volunteer at a raptor sanctuary. If you want, I could get you a free pass.”

The offer comes out of nowhere. A free pass? After  _ she’s _ the one who inconvenienced  _ him _ ? “...um…?”

“Seems like you’re attached to them, too. Or...the idea of them. Thought maybe you’d enjoy it.”

There’s a blink, and then she softens. “...I guess I would. Neji would have liked it more…though that reminds me, I didn’t...introduce myself. I’m Hinata.”

“Sasuke.”

Wringing out the shirt, Hinata eyes it carefully, seeing no trace of the coffee. “Okay...I think it’s all right. I’m...so sorry about that, Sasuke.”

“It’s fine. It’s just a shirt.”

“Still...I shouldn’t have done it.”

“Accidents happen - no worries. And it looks fine. I need to wash all my stuff anyway.”

Hands now empty, Hinata absentmindedly fiddles them. “I-I’ll pay for your drink.”

“It’s fine.”

“But -?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He gives a snort. “You always so overly polite?”

“Y-you’re a customer!”

“Yeah, but you don’t gotta bend over backwards. You washed my shirt, so call it even.”

Lips purse into a small pout.

Descending the stairs again, they come back out into the bakery, still quiet. “So, this is the place I volunteer at,” Sasuke offers, handing her a card. “Just ask for me - I’m there every Saturday, I can get you in.”

“So...do you like birds…?”

“Big ones,” he replies with a hint of a grin. “Hawks, mostly - we help rehabilitate them. I can introduce you to a few we’ve got around right now.”

“O...okay!”

With his order finally finished (and in one piece), Sasuke takes his leave with a farewell. The remaining pair watch him go before Hinata’s boss turns to her. “So…”

“...so?”

“You got yourself a date!”

“W-what?! N-no, I just -”

She laughs, hands on her hips. “He invited you out so he could see you again!”

“W-we were just talking about birds, that’s all! He didn’t  _ ask me out _ , he just...brought it up because it was relevant!”

The elder woman just smiles knowingly. “...well, you better take him up on it - you don’t meet cuties like that every day, hm?”

“P-please, that’s not -!”

Before she can refuse, the bell dings as a small group of customers walks in. Her boss just gives a glance and a nod before they concede back to work.

_ A date...it’s not a date! It’s just...just a… _ Admittedly, she’s not sure what to call it. But...well, she’d be happy to see such interesting birds up close, regardless.

_ Neji...I wish you could go with me. I’ll take lots of pictures, if I can!  _ And maybe, someday soon...she’ll be able to fill the birdcage again.

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt was...very random xD Of course the first thing I associate in Naruto with birds and cages is Neji, so...I tried to work that into a modern AU to have it lead to a meeting between our typical ship. I'm not...sure I pulled this off very well. It feels like it should be a lot longer. But sadly my time is limited, so...hopefully it's still somewhat passable.
> 
> Anywho, that's all for tonight. I'll see everyone tomorrow! Thanks for reading~


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